


Veil Of Death

by fangirloffandomworld



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: ANBU - Freeform, Age Regression/De-Aging, BAMFs, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Everyone is Dead, Explicit Language, F/M, Fem!Harry, Female Harry, Female Harry Potter, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Immortal Harry Potter, Iris Potter - Freeform, Kekkei Genkai | Bloodline Limit, Master of Death (Harry Potter), Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Slow To Update, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, The Deathly Hallows, The Tale of the Three Brothers, Time Travel Fix-It, Torture, Triggers, Veil of Death (Harry Potter), Violence, death is adorable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-09-02 04:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16779418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirloffandomworld/pseuds/fangirloffandomworld
Summary: Iris Potter, Mistress of Death, The-Girl-Who-Lived, The Chosen One and owner of many other hyphenated titles looked around in despair. What could she do now? A curse fired at her and she quickly dodged out of the way but slammed her bleeding shoulder into the wall._-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_Death swept the room once more before following Iris into the Veil of Death.Behind him, the portal started to eat itself out; sucking and pulling in all pieces of the room and forcing the building to collapse. He heard the souls of the crushed scream out but he continued after his Mistress.





	1. Chapter One

_Thoughts ~_ (Death hears her thoughts all the time and so it is also used to talk to Death)

**_Death's replies~_ **

"Conversation"

**" Talking with the dead"**

"Spells used in Konoha"

_" Jutsu"_

* * *

Iris Potter, Mistress of Death, The-Girl-Who-Lived, The Chosen One and owner of many other hyphenated titles looked around in despair. What could she do now? A curse fired at her and she quickly dodged out of the way but slammed her bleeding shoulder into the wall. Her bones were starting to feel more heavy than usual and she could barely focus anymore. What could she do now? A raw scream tore from her mouth as she felt the dark curse hit her back. _C’mon Iris, think. Think!_ She screamed at herself.

_You are surrounded by spies, all communicators are down and you could either get up and be shot and captured by them. Or you could stay here and go delirious due to blood loss or be captured by them. What would Hermione say in this scenario?_ Iris mentally berated herself.

Iris let out a choked sob as she pulled her hand away from the wound to see if she could make a run for it. Not a chance. The curse had peeled away almost all of the skin off from that area and a white substance could be shown.

_My bone,_ Iris came to the sickening answer. She felt the bile raise up as she looked at the bloody mess of her arm. _What could she do?_

Iris sobbed quietly as she heard the footsteps of her pursuers.

“She is here somewhere. I know it! Go sniff her out you idiots! I want her by sundown!”

Iris curled up inside of her even more as she heard the quiet protests walk near her.

_Death? Death, come back! Please. Where did you go?_ She whimpered quietly.

Although she couldn’t die, she definitely could feel the pain and torture inflicted on her. And after the War, Iris had given up on trying to kill herself. When the pill-popping didn’t work, she tried alcohol poisoning, then hanging herself as well as jumping off the roof and finally, she realized she just _couldn’t_ die.

With that in her mind, Iris would run around in the Auror Force as a method of pulling away from her problems. She was the only one who could go on a battlefield and come out alive without any major injuries.

Iris was suddenly grabbed her injured arm and held up from behind the fallen wall.

_No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. Please!_

Iris started to cry out loud when she felt the Cruciatus curse being inflicted on her. After hiding for weeks and being tortured at every turn had practically ruined her body. She would either be very quick to feel the littlest of pains or not even notice if there was a knife embedded in her.

The Department of Mysteries had initially been the hideout from the new war brewing on the horizon but after some spies had infiltrated the ministry, neither were the refugees nor the Ministry remained standing. Iris had been the last survivor of the entire three thousand group they had saved in the beginning.

“Get that bitch up now!”

Iris could faintly feel calloused hands grab her gently by her shoulders and pick her up.

“Hurry UP,” the man in charge growled. He had other things to do other than just run around after the evasive twat and he wanted to go home.

“What will we do with her Casper?”

Casper let out a growl before grabbing Iris herself and dragging her into another room. The room temperature chilled swiftly and Iris realized where they were. The Death Chamber.

Fury grew in Iris’s stomach but all she could do was watch with blurry eyes. The last time she was in this room, Sirius had died. She despised this room and yet she was brought back here.

In the center was a sunken stone pit. Stone benches run all around the room and descend in steep steps toward a raised stone dais in the center of the pit. An ancient, crumbling stone archway, unsupported by any surrounding wall, stands on this dais. The archway was hung with a tattered black curtain which fluttered very slightly as though it had just been touched or blown by a faint wind, although the air in the room was still and cold.

Iris almost slumped down in defeat when she felt a familiar and comfortable presence.

_DEATH,_ Iris called out in relief.

**_Mistress, I apologize for disappearing, I had to deal with a big catastrophe. But right now, I can say we have two choices. We either stay here and get captured and tortured forever or we go into the Veil._ **

**_It is a portal for The Master of Death yet, in this case, the Mistress. We will be transported to another world yet you will be de-aged and we can continue to live life normally._ **

Iris looked at Death, exasperation clear on her face.

Death’s eyes widened and he nodded looking a bit embarrassed (which was quite a view since the translucent black skin had turned crimson red as he blushed). He snapped his fingers and the two bodies dragging her dropped dead. He floated towards Iris before placing his cloaked hands over her injuries. The skin turned black before it started to switch back to its normal shape.

She stood up and cranked her neck. Although her body was mended, her head ached fiercely making Iris want to curl up and cry.

“How many people are in this department currently Death?”

Death looked around slowly. Fourteen in the upper chambers but these two were the only ones who had ventured down.

Death relayed the information making Iris nod her head.

“I left all my money and valuables in the Swamp Room s-”

Death snapped his fingers once more causing her luggage to fly out of the room and into the Veil. Iris nodded with an awkward grimace, “That-yeah. Thanks.”

Death looked at her before at the Veil and nodded slowly. It may have been 40 years since they were bonded but it was still new for Death to be complimented or thanked for doing his job from the 22-year-old.

Death swept the room once more before following Iris into the portal.

Behind him, the portal started to eat itself out; sucking and pulling in all pieces of the room and forcing the building to collapse. He heard the souls of the crushed scream out but he continued after his Mistress.


	2. Chapter Two

The first thing Iris could see was the blinding green that surrounded her. With a groan, she pulled up from the river she had been thrown into. As she pulled away from the body of water, she fell on the mud with an exhausted groan.

The second thing that stood out was the beating of her heart, heavy and fast. When Death said she would be de-aged, he probably forgot to mention how young. Iris had assumed at most, she would be ten but as she examined herself in the reflection of the river, she looked like when she was five; her hair was the same color it always had been, red but it was more unmanageable than before. It seemed like everything was the same except for her sudden change in height.

Iris stifled her anger and tiredness before she turned on her heel only to collapse on the tree roots near the slow-moving water. Tiny black dots appeared in her eyes making Iris cry out in pain. She could feel her body tremble as waves of pain hit her body.

**_It seems like your young body had undergone such change, all your scars and wounds that, even healed, had reopened._ **

Iris sobbed out as she begged for it to stop out.

On her right, she could hear the rustling of the leaves but all she could think of was how excruciating it all was.

The last thing she saw was a weird white mask hovering over her before she passed out from the pain.

* * *

Beep Beep Beep

Iris let out a moan from the repeated beeps.

_Where are we?_

**_After you had died on the river, the masked man who had found you, carried you back from that place into his town, Konohagakure. This new realm is filled with Ninja who are trained to be faster and smarter than the mundane, called civilians. They also have something similar to magic and blood inherited gifts called Kekkei Genkai, also known as bloodline limits. The people the Man brought you to have healed almost all of your wounds with something called Chakra. It’s similar to Magic but it really isn’t._ **

Iris mentally deadpanned from the last piece of information.

_Are you seriously going to act like that?_

Death gave no reply so Iris took the time to open her eyes. Her heavy eyes felt glued together as she peeled them open. The first thing that assaulted her eyes were the hazy people writing in her medical and nursing notes. One of them noticed she was awake and gave out a signal for someone else causing everyone’s focus to turn to her.

They rapidly started firing questions at her making her eyes suddenly water as fear gripped her heart. In the back of her mind, Iris growled at the fact she had no control over her emotions anymore and that she was back to her childish reactions.

The questions seemed to cease slowly once they saw her tears but it didn’t stop Iris from letting out her choked sobs. A nurse leaned over her and moved to touch Iris’s shoulder but Iris flinched so badly, the nurse’s actions stopped midway.

Death stood near the clear window, protectively while Iris tried to calm herself down from the near panic attack. The doctor who had been the one to give the signal to everyone to motion Iris’s consciousness, snapped his fingers and everyone except he left the room. The first few moments were spent in silence as they both assessed each other before the silence was broken by Iris.

“Where am I?”

Her childlike voice carried the question but the doctor didn’t answer her question, just continued to stare. Which was kind of bizarre as his blueish white hues stared into her face. Iris started to feel the panic build up inside of her as his shoulder tensed before they went relax.

“My name is Hyuga Iyashi and it was my team of medic-nin who healed you,” he said as he searched her eyes for something.

“Now, why would a kid your age suffer injuries like you did,” he continued once he realized he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

Iris looked at the floor near the **medic-nin** as she thought of what to say and do. She could feel the panic build up inside her as she tried to stall for some more time.

The doctor leaned forward with a frown. “Child abuse is something Konoha abhors, so it is **quite** a mystery how we have missed your case.”

Iris flinched at his suggestion and huddled herself back in the pillow. 

However, the medic-nin took it as a confirmation.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything much. The people who have hurt you would be gone by nightfall as it is, Konoha’s Police Force will take care of it,” he sighed.

“But there are a lot of people who would like to question you and I need to know your name for that.”

Iris gaped at him behind the curtain of hair that covered her face. She could feel her shoulders tense up again as she leaned away from him and spoke quietly.

“You won’t hurt me?”

_Death?_

The medic-nin shook his head and Iris hesitated.

**_Akari._ **

“Akari, just Akari. No one ever told me my last name.”

Her response brought a gentle smile to Hyuga-san’s face making him look a lot younger than he did. His forehead smoothened out making Iris notice a purple stamp on it.

“Do you know if you have any relatives or family to live with?”

Iris looked at the floor again and shook her head.

Flashes of the war passed behind her closed eyelids making her tear up.

“No one was allowed to see me,” Iris whispered painfully. “And aunt-,” Iris wheezed at her memory but managed to continue without breaking down, “and I was told my daddy and mommy died.”

The pause after the mention of her aunt didn’t escape the healer’s attention as his eyes narrowed. Iris timidly looked at his face making Hyuga-san gave her another tiny smile, “I’ll be right back okay. Just stay where you are and then maybe someone can take you to the orphanage. You’ll stay there until the investigation is over.”

He got up, his cloak billowing behind him as he walked across the room and left through the door.

Iris quickly looked around and found Death floating around near the window. With a mental privacy spell, she glared at him before exploding at him.

_Couldn’t you just apparate me to a flat and let me hide instead of this process? And what’s up with the new language? I-._

**_There was a war_** , Death said, efficiently shutting Iris up. Iris stared at him across the room as her voice failed her.

“Wha-what are you saying?”

Her throat closed up as flashbacks of the war she went through quickly flew behind her shut eyes.

**_There was a surprise attack by a chakra entity and a manipulated person. The Hokage, the equivalence of the Minister and much more, at that time, had seen his wife give birth literally seconds before being attacked personally and then there was the attack on the village. The man attacked the Hokage’s newborn son and ran away with him, forcing the Hokage to follow in hopes of getting his child out of danger. His wife was still weak in the aftermath of just giving birth._ **

A chill went through Iris’s body and at that moment she knew, she knew the wife hadn’t survived.

**_The attack of this entity was too strong and so rather than attempting to defeat it, the Hokage gave his life while trying to seal it into his newborn child. He had suffered painfully already and the seal took everything out of him. That night, the boy became an orphan and a true Horcrux._ **

Iris blanched suddenly as horror built up. A **true** Horcrux? It had been terrible to even destroy the simplest of Horcruxes Voldemort left behind but a true Horcrux would mean madness and eternal life. Iris sobbed as she tried to hold in her stomach contents as she heard the continuation of Death’s story.

_Don-don’t tell me- I can’t!_ Iris gasped out as she lost the battle with her stomach.

**_Mistress, I believe I have made you distressed. The true Horcrux was created not in the way the other Horcruxes are made, but rather through a series of complex runes and seals._ **

_And the child,_ Iris asked in fear once her shaking had subdued.

**_Alive but hated by the village._ **

_What kind of place have you bought me to Death? I can’t do this again._

**_Mistress, you are stronger than you think. Do not fret, however, as this boy is protected by the current Hokage and its own version of elite Aurors._ **

_He could end up as Riddle did, all alone,_ Iris thought with a spinning head.

Iris shook her head to clear it. She had once been so young and naïve that she would’ve charged in battle without a plan but with all the hardships she had gone through truly taught her a valuable lesson.

**_He has been destined for greatness, my Mistress. It is why I also bought you here; to protect him and heal yourself. He is just like you were before Hogwarts, and I hoped you could be his Hogwarts. After all, you could finally have a family._ **

Memories of her surrogate family flew through her mind but she still felt hesitant over making a decision.

_I couldn’t even save Teddy._

Death fell silent and swept up towards Iris. His clocked figure gracefully rested on the bed next to her.

**_Mistress, you could do nothing back there. His soul was mine to take._ **

_Well,_ _it’s not like it makes it any better Death! He was only three!_

Sorrow spilled through their link.

**_I cannot force you, after all, you are my Mistress. I had obviously made a mistake, I will remedy it if you wish it._ **

_Just-just forget it._

Iris languished.

_You once mentioned I could bring back someone from the dead if in another plane. Did you mean?_ Iris let the unsaid question hang in the air.

**_Considering we are no longer in our dimension and plan to alter this timeline, yes._ **

_When?_

**_Pardon me, Mistress?_ **

_When can I bring them back?_

**_If you command it, I could do it right now._ **

_No,_ Iris said with a grimace, _when will you be done with fixing up all the reasons for your ire?_

**_M-Mistress how?_ **

_You forget our bond, you seem agitated and it isn’t due to me._

**_Mistress, forgive me. I will control it better._ **

Iris snorted and pulled one of Death’s hidden hand in hers.

_Don’t bother, it makes me happy to understand you even better. Plus, judging by the intensity of this emotion, I’m guessing you’ll be hung up for quite a while._

Death let out a pitiful whine.

**_The idiots I had left in charge here messed up big. So big that they allowed themselves to be manipulated by this ‘Chakra’ and bid to people’s whims. Fools! But the fastest is a year, and the longest, three years._ **

_And the time for me to slip under the radar enough to slow the suspicion of having a sibling would be what? Five, six years?_

**_Mistress?_ **

_Sorry, let me figure that out later. But on more important notes, what about the boy?_

_What’s his status?_

Death straightened up and recited the information.

**_He is the sole survivor of the Uzumaki clan as well as the clan of his father. The Uzumaki clan is famous for its seal masters, prolonged life, and quick healing. People all over this country would target him if they found out who his parents were; even more than the fact that he is the sealed demon. The attack occurred two years ago but the village has still not recovered from it so it will be no surprise they found you; the orphan rates have increased drastically. Anyway, the boy is currently at the orphanage where you will be sent. His mistreatment has already started._ **

_What kind of ‘mistreatment’ are we talking about?_

Death tightened his hand around Iris’s tiny one ** _, He is locked up in his own room. The matrons forget to feed him often and neglect his crying over the course of the night._**

And at that moment, she made up her mind.

She wanted to go and hunt the men who had made the demon attack the village. But with her current body, it would be a miracle if she could even get out of bed and walk around without buckling into the floor. But she couldn’t just stay in the hospital without doing anything.

**_Mistress!_** Death cried out in alarm. Iris glared at the wall with a snarl.

**_Although we can just get rid of them, I would advise you to tread with caution. Your background is being fabricated this instance but you will be still under suspicion, especially if you attempt too hard to help him._ **

A bitter smile spread on Iris’s face, ruining the picture of an innocent child sitting in the hospital bed.

_Too late._

* * *

Akari trotted after the caretaker with a small pout. Not even a moment after meeting her, the caretaker managed to insult ~~Iris’s~~ Akari’s height and face. It didn't help that she was back in her over-reactive and sensitive body again, for, she could feel all her childish feelings built up in her stomach.

Akari glared at the large building they were about to enter with a sigh and longing glance at the swings on the side of the building. The evening breeze blew against Akari making her shudder against the warm wind.

Once they were out of the view of the Konoha Police Force’s eyes, (a sad resemblance to Sirius with the pitch black hair and grey eyes) who had helped transport Akari and the matron back to the orphanage, the matron grabbed Akari’s wrist harshly and tugged her around. Her sweet, old looking face twisted into something foul as she sneered at the girl in her hands. With a quick flick of her wrist, the matron backhanded the five-year-old. Had had she not held the young by the wrist, Akari would have been sprawled across the floor by the sheer force of the slap.

“There is a shortage of rooms so you’ll be sharing with the three-year-olds.”

Akari’s eyes drooped in pain but she managed to nod along to whatever the matron was saying.

The floor creaked as the duo moved through the dusty and quiet rooms. Akari winced as she noticed tear-filled, scared eyes peer at her through under the couch. She wanted to do nothing other than stop and reassure the kids that no one would hurt them but the grip the matron had on her wrist prevented her from being able to step away from the older woman.

The old matron pushed Akari into the room harshly, “Dinner won’t be made today. Your appearance made me lose my game and 8,000 Ryo. Don’t bother staying up either! Tomorrow, you’ll be working at dawn.”

Akari stared at the old woman who turned on her heel and stomped back to stairs. Anger coursed through her veins but she ground her teeth rather than jumping at the matron and beating her as she wished.

She took a few deep breaths to calm down before turning around to peer at the dimly lit room. Many little beds were pushed together near the wall and there seemed to be only seven or eight blankets on the total of thirty-nine beds. A few moments passed as Akari stared at the children hiding under the bed before she walked over to pull up the white sheet that should’ve hid them. But the sheet was so thin and see-through, it didn’t help hide them.

A few heads popped out and they all squinted their eyes to look at the newcomer. Akari gasped lightly as she was blinded by the cute yet unsure smiles of the younger children.

“Hi everyone, my name is Akari, and I hope you’ll like me,” Akari said as she ducked her head down.

A mummer rippled from the body of people in front of her before Akari felt small weak arms wrap around her.

The children moved back after a moment or two, leaving Akari cold and empty from the absence of the short hug. The children stumbled over their words slightly but Akari smiled and quickly gave everyone nicknames.

With a sigh, Akari stood up and noticed the thin cotton blankets stretched over the beds. She could feel her anger rise at once but had trouble controlling it. _Like hell, she’d let these children suffer._

Akari was about to transform the old, creaky beds into newer ones when Death materialized in her mind quickly.

**_Mistress, I strongly advise you against that._ **

Akari jolted with surprise but listened to Death.

_But, why?_

**_With great power, comes great responsibility. Had you performed magic, the children would have been so overjoyed that they would’ve caught the caretaker’s attention due to the ruckus they would make. The caretaker is not a good person, and had she found out about even a fraction of your abilities, she would’ve sent you to a not-so-nice person who would exploit your abilities._ **

Akari breathed out heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She may not be able to change the living conditions for the children, but she could lay a spell to keep the room cool at night.

With a tiny mutter, Akari also placed a warming spell on the blankets so they could do their job of keeping everyone warm better.

Akari turned around and gave a gentle smile to the children so they could stop staring at her. Though that was the objective, it seemed to make things worse as the children seemed to stare at her even more. A feeling of dread filled her up; _would they keep on staring at her_ , she thought a little breathlessly to herself.

Time suddenly passed as Akari slowly started playing with the kids as they steadily warmed up to her. Soon enough, the night was upon them and they all went to bed more exhausted than usual.

Akari nearly purred in happiness as the mattress sunk under her weight even though it wasn’t top quality. Since the war back in England started, she had given up certain leisure’s that included sleeping in a fluffy bed. After months of being on the run, luxury was hard to get by; even with the help of Hermione’s tent. And when the war ended, it seemed too hard to go back to using top-notch quality beds. Her back had suffered as well. But it was a risk Akari took to keep herself from forgetting the horrors she went through.

**_Sleep my Mistress, I will look over you._ **

_Love you Death._

Akari curled up in bed and with one final yawn, she was out like a light; missing the fondness seep through the bond connecting the Entity and her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The massive positive response that came from this story within only just a week has bought me to tears. Everyone is so nice and welcoming and I hope to live up to your expectations for this story. Thank you for the Kudos and comments.  
> Furthermore, I have to say is that I have another story written up; basically the same beginning but it has a different second chapter that leads to a whole new plot. If I manage to finish this story, I may also put up the second one.


	3. Chapter Three

A loud bang made ~~Iris~~ Akari lurch from her bed as fear gripped her heart. Her hand tightened around the core of the Elder Wand. Her eyes flew open and a trickle of panic made itself known before she remembered where she was. The morning hues lit up the room through the large windows on the bleak walls.

_The orphanage, right._

With a groan, she turned around to stare at the cause of her waking up; the open slammed door which hosted the matron who had her hands on her hips with a sharp glare.

“Get up!”

Akari flinched at the piercing screech of the Matron but did as she asked, afraid of the consequences. Although she may have been a warrior who had gone off long winters without much food or aid, she couldn’t take the risk of being malnourished or harmed as a kid again.

Akari meekly followed the children to breakfast. Her shoulders were hunched inside as she tried to bury herself.

_Why do I feel like I’m being watched?_

Which reminded her of Death’s words when she went to sleep. Where had Death gone to, to miss her in the morning?

_Death?_

When Death didn’t reply, Akari called him out once more.

**_Oh, sorry. Yes, sorry; just out doing work. There are some sleeper agents, literally sleeping spies that blend in with the walls, who seek out children that are more prodigious if that makes sense._ **

Akari felt worried as Death’s words became more distracted.

_What are you doing?_

**_Sorry Mistress, I shall talk later. There seem to bigger issues than I prepared for. By your leave?_ **

Akari’s forehead smothered with tension.

_Carry on._

Akari entered a room and eyes widened in shock. Without the colors, and the cheer and the heaps of food, the room looked just like The Great Hall. Well, maybe a miniature version of it, like really **,** _really_ small version. Four tables extended throughout the room with multiple children already seated, eating some porridge.

Akari didn’t drift too far from the three-year-olds, her mind too frayed to stray from the group. And that seemed to be the best decision she ever made since once she finished eating breakfast, she gained the attention of the helper at the orphanage.

“Hey little one, you’re new aren’t you,” the sweet looking older male asked.

“I came here yesterday.”

Akari stared meekly as she was rewarded with a smile. The smile would’ve sent her off blushing but there was something calculative in it. Akari tried not to tense up and managed to sneak off to play with the other three-year-olds.

So maybe the attention wasn’t the best thing she needed right now. Akari looked over the kids and sighed. They were all in little groups already and she couldn’t decide what to do.

But before she could make up her mind, her name was called out, making her flinch as she expected Aunt Petunia holding a frying pan in her hand and smacking it on her head.

“Yes?”

To her dismay, it was the Matron smiling sweetly at her. Behind her were two silhouettes, _no wonder she was being all nice all of a sudden._

“These nice people want to ask you a couple of **questions** , you know, like a **game** ,” Akari fought her gag reflex at the overly sweet tone, “How about we go to another **room**?”

Akari glanced at the two silhouettes, “You aren’t going to kill me are you?”

Her innocent tone suddenly caused one of the figures to have a coughing fit. But Akari followed the Matron into the other room, one more bright than the one she was in, causing light to be shed on the trio.

Akari’s breath got stuck in her throat as she stared at the figures. An image overlapped theirs due to the uncanny resemblance to the house of Blacks and she nearly burst into tears.

“Hi, sweetie,” one of the members, a female leaned down and peered at Akari with a soft smile.

The male sat down and pulled out a notepad.

“My name is Uchiha Akane and this is Uchiha Tsuki. We wanted to talk to you about a couple of things.”

Akari stared at them quietly, letting herself get placed on a seat that had her feet dangling in the air.

“Your name is Akari, right?”

Akari nodded slowly as she watched the duo in front of her. The Matron had been dismissed from the room by Tsuki and Akari felt like she could finally talk properly.

“That’s such a pretty name,” Akane cooed. “Do you know its meaning?”

Akari shook her head hesitantly.

“It means light or brightness.”

Akari nodded her head and looked away from the woman. Trying to keep her cool was really hard, especially as the woman practically emitted motherly henning over her.

“We found your home,” Tsuki bought up.

Akari’s eyes shot up to his face while Akane punched him in the arm.

“You have no tact,” Akane hissed and she was going to say something more but Akari took the chance to cut in.

“Home?”

Akane melted and came up to Akari with a soft nod.

“We had some Inuzuka partners follow your smell to trace your place back to your home.”

“You-you had some smell me? Do I smell bad? I’m sorry, I wasn’t allowed to take baths and waste the water,” Akari said with her head tilted to one side.

Akane let out a strangled yelp and she clenched her hands around Tsuki’s arm.

“Woman, let me go,” he said in a low voice.

“Oh, no dear. You see, the Inuzuka clan have partners which are dogs and they sniffed the ripped shirt you had on.”

Akari’s eyes went wide against her own will, “Doggies?”

Akane nodded.

“Wow,” she breathed out. “That’s so cool!”

Tsuki cleared his throat once more and Akari looked at him.

“Your aunt and uncle were arrested and due to a struggle, they were hurt. The thing is, once we went through the house and did some resear- studying, it was found that you weren’t even supposed to be with them-.”

“What?”

Akane sighed sadly and gently placed a hand on Akari’s head. Tsuki averted his eyes to his notebook once noting her flinch at the gesture.

“You see, apparently your parents had arranged a guardian, a person to take care of you, but somehow, we didn’t know about it. These bad people managed to get you and, well, now they’re gone. But the thing is, sweetie, you have someone who is part of your family who can take care of you. And so, we’re looking for him.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have a family but he isn’t in Konoha at the moment. When he comes back, you’ll go live with him at the house.”

“If he was my family, why isn’t he here?”

Tsuki exchanged a look with Akane.

“He- well someone told him you went to heaven with your parents.”

“Aunty said that? But why?”

“Well you see,” Tsuki said with a frown, “your aunt was taking your money while she had you in her home.”

“But?”

Akane gently grabbed one of Akari’s hand.

“It’s like, when you do something good, you get something good in return. Like you make your bed, you get a lollipop. But your aunty was taking lollipops without making the bed, and she took your lollipops.”

Akari stared at the duo with her large eyes, “I’ve never had lollipops before. What’re those?”

In the end, once they managed to explain everything to her, they told her they would visit every week and they would tell her if her family came back.

Akari thought of calling Death before she stopped. She would wait until Death would contact her instead, better be safe than accidentally distracting Death from the task being done.

The next couple of hours were spent in a rush as Akari went about her chores. In the end, she finished her work and went out to play. The cool wind gently caressed her sweaty face as she raced out the orphanage door to catch the swings ( _Damn those childish impulses_ ). Akari, before she could go to the swings, was intercepted by a few older kids who noticed her desire.

“You’re new aren’t you,” a tall brunette asked sympathetically.

Akari nodded and was about to walk past because she may have been really old mentally, but _swings were the best thing like ever._

“You really shouldn’t go near the swings,” a shorter kid said. He stood a bit behind the taller brunette but he stepped forward to speak.

“What do you mean?”

“The Matron says there’s this demon boy and she told us kids not to go him or speak to him,” the last child whispered fearfully as though someone would hear them. He shook his head, making his black hair bounce with each shake.

“Well, I don’t see him,” Akari said, a little slow to catch up to what they meant.

“He’s always playing near the swings and we can’t be seen near him or else the Matron gets angrier. Even if he isn’t here right now, the Matron will be mad if she sees you sitting on the swings,” the girl ended with a look to the ground.

The black haired kid shrugged, “All the adults say he’s a demon and a freak. And if we knew what was best for ourselves, we wouldn’t go to that thing.”

Akari clenched her fist in anger. Her anger dominated her other emotions and she called out for Death.

_Is that the boy?_

When Death did not answer, Akari growled and yanked her bond with Death.

_Is that the boy?_

**_Yes,_ ** **_Mistress._ **

Anger coursed through her veins making the shadows around her darken.

_Where is he?_

**_The boy was injured by the villagers and is resting with the ANBU who watch over him and protect him._ **

_He’s just two!_

**_Mistress, they do not see a boy but believe it to be the demon who attacked. I understand your pain since children are sacred but these villagers allow their hatred to blind them of these truths. Nonetheless, the boy will be back by tomorrow once everyone has slept. However, Mistress if you plan meeting the boy, remember that he has ANBU watching him at all times to protect him so tread with caution to not seem too interested in wanting to befriend him. Also, although, I have aged you to a five-year-old, you are really bad at acting like a simple five-year-old._ **

Akari simply sighed and pinched her nose to get rid of a headache arising.

_Alright, I’ll try not to seem like I’m looking for him but just tell me where he is if I can’t find him._

_But are you free now?_

**_Yes,_ ** **_Mistress. I have handled a few issues but some will only be fixed in the future. Is there anything wrong? You seem distressed._ **

_When were you going to tell me about ‘the last family’ I have here?_

**_So-You,_ ** **_see- There-_ **

_Death,_ Akari whined. _I don’t want any more surprises._

**_I thought it would be too cruel to leave you here without any help, so I bought back someone._ **

_Not that I mind, but I would’ve liked a warning. And who is that for the matter?_

**_Well, you see. I believed you would like the company, so Remus Lupin and Sirius Black._ **

Iris nearly gasped out loud.

_But aren’t you tired? Two people would’ve been draining!_

**_Mistress, I do not feel tired. And your happiness is my concern. You missed those two and I bought them back to undo the wrongs by having them raise you as they should’ve BEFORE. Though they shall appear within this year._ **

_Thank you,_ Akari cried softly.

That night, Akari felt restless as she lay down.

_Could you stay with me again?_

**_As you wish._ **

* * *

The next day had not had a good start. The morning started off with Akari waking up and feeling drained off all her energy.

_Death!_

Akari gnarled. She could feel the entity scramble about before his connection was cut off. _That bastard_ , Akari thought. As her anger faded away, Akari whined about the fact that she would have to train her body to increase her stamina all over again. Akari let out a faint growl at the idea but then decided that she would be just crying over spilled milk.

She needed to get stronger to protect everyone.

First things first, she would have to sign up for the group that was going to the academy. However, since the academy isn’t free as she hoped, she would have to compete against kids to be one of the five that was picked off to actually go to the academy.

So as Akari went about her work, she bugged Death for more information about the type of tests she would have to go through.

**_They would at first go through the test of seeing whether or not they can write or read fluently. This would weasel out a lot of the kids who don’t have the basics. This is usually done by having to read, write and memorize a tongue twister of the sort._ **

_Sounds easy enough,_ Akari shrugged as she polished the bathroom floor.

**_Next is the endurance test; do not be fooled though, this test also checks out your ability to pace yourself and whether or not you know your limits. I shall aid you in this as they use this test to yank out any possible spies. If you pass this test extremely well, they will tail you until they believe you aren’t a threat but if they catch anything wrong, that’s a one way trip to the Torture and Interrogation Department. Not to mention, if you do too bad, you will not be picked as the passing contestants._ **

Akari huffed and replied bitingly, _great, no pressure._

**_I will help you, my Mistress. The last test includes two T &I specialized jōnin who will try to scare off the weak-willed orphans in a last attempt to get their last five students._ **

_Will they use actual weapons to scare children off,_ Akari asked sharply.

**_They will push out this emotion called Killing Intent. Killing intent is simply the user exuding pure killing intention, and having it affect their opponent, themselves, and others around them, up to the point of paralyzing them with fear. When the killing intent is particularly strong, it can even give the victim visions of their own gruesome death but since you are my Master, only a Kage’s KI will slightly affect you._ **

_They don’t actually harm the children though, do they?_

**_The children will only feel scared. Nothing else._ **

_I still don’t agree with this idea they have._

**_Mistress, think of it like this, the more they know that the children can take it, the less likely these children will die on the field._ **

Akari grumbled a bit but gave in, in the end.

_Where do you think we can sign up?_

There was no reply making Akari frown before she felt the presence of a couple of older kids running past the bathroom. Another kid walked more slowly at her with a piece of paper in hand.

“Hey, you’re the new kid right?”

Akari nodded making the dark blue haired kid hum.

“This is a list of the daily chores we usually do. The Matron usually expects us to remember all this but the new people who come here usually get a list. This outlines everything you have to do each week. Like, today, you cleaned the bathrooms with Aomine and Momoi, but tomorrow, you have to help around with the dishes this time and so on.”

Akari took the paper handed to her and looked at the timetable, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” he replied with a cute grin making Akari’s face heat up.

She nodded before rushing out with a dark blush covering her cheeks. In her head, she heard Death laugh at her childish tendencies making her curse out Death in a million and one ways.

“What else do I have to do today,” she muttered to herself as she peered at the paper in her hand. Her eyes fleeted across the paper before halting, making her go cross-eyed for a moment.

There, in fresh black ink were the words that gave Akari hope:

  1. **Feed the two-year-olds their formula milk**



_Does this mean I’ll meet Naruto today?_

After a moment of pause, Death replied a little distracted.

**_I believe so,_** the entity replied. **_Actually, Mistress, the issue left here by the minor Shinigami came back so I will not be able to respond for a bit._**

Worry flooded her body making her stop midway down the stairs, _be careful then._

Akari snickered to herself as she felt embarrassment surge through the link. Oh, Death’s reactions were too much at times, she thought to herself. She hurried up the rest of the stairs though, the clock in the dining room showed that if she wouldn’t hurry now, she would be late and miss her window to see the boy wonder.

As she walked through the hallway, she noticed two others standing in front of the room, grabbing a couple of bottles.

“Hey, sorry I was late,” Akari said once she caught up to the duo.

“It’s alright,” the other girl said with a grin. “The first couple of days are usually annoying.”

The boy just hummed making the girl swat his shoulder.

“I’m Akiko and this is Mistumi,” the girl introduced.

“Akari,” she said as she grabbed two bottles.

Akiko just smiled in response and opened the door.

Forty minutes later, Akari placed the girl who was on her hip on the bed.

“Is that everybody?”

Akiko and Mistumi went quiet and Akiko nodded.

“Are you sure,” Akari asked disbelievingly.

Mitsumi cleared his throat, “Yeah, that’s everyone.”

Akari scoffed inaudibly, “The list says twenty-three kids to feed. There’s only twenty-two in this room.”

“Maybe Aoba messed up the number of kids again,” Akiko laughed shakily making Akari narrow her eyes and cross her arms.

“What are you two not telling me?”

Mitsumi’s quivering eyes looked up from the ground.

“There’s someone else-“

“Mitsumi,” Akiko cut in sharply.

“What,” he bit back.

When Akiko didn’t reply, Mitsumi scoffed, “I knew it. Anyways, there’s this other kid but the Matron doesn’t like us going there. She says he’s a monster and a demon.”

“A two-year-old is a monster,” Akari deadpanned. “Seriously, what’s next, there’s a boogeyman?”

Akiko bristled next to Mitsumi, “You won’t feed him. If you do, I’ll tell everyone you know the demon.”

Akari sneered at Akiko, “A two-year-old cannot be a monster. If he was, then he wouldn’t be here.”

Akari rolled her eyes at the girl before addressing Mitsumi again.

“If you two are too scared of doing it, I will. The list says feed **ALL** two-year-olds and I’ll do it even if you two don’t.”

Mitsumi nodded faintly with a white, pale face.

“The Matron doesn’t like us being with him so she put him in his own little room, it’s the first left one in this hall.”

Akari nodded and brushed past them to grab a bottle and go towards the room he told her.

With a sigh, Akari opened the door.

Her first impression would be that the room hadn’t been clean for a while. There was a thin sheet of dust on the bare floor. The only clean part was the area around the crib placed against the side of the wall with the sunlight shining upon it. With every breath she took, Akari felt her nose twitch with the dust in the air.

Her second impression was that the ANBU stationed to protect Naruto tensed at her presence showing how they cared for the kid. Not to mention the new stuffed toys lining up the walls, there was no way the Matron would buy anything for anyone which left the idea that his protectors did.

Akari rubbed her nose with a fist before continuing her way towards the crib. She peered over the high crib (high enough that if she stood on her toes, she could only fit her whole face above the bars of the crib).

“Whoa,” Akari cried out. She felt the tensing of the ANBU but couldn’t bring herself to care.

“You have _whiskers!_ Awesome,” Akari cheered.

At her words, two things happened. One, the ANBU relaxed momentarily. And second, Naruto opened his eyes.

“And you have _blue eyes,”_ Akari gasped out. “Neko-chan!”

Akari fell quiet though, observing the kid in front of her.

“You must be hungry huh,” she asked softly.

Naruto simply blinked.

“Here,” she said as she opened the side of the crib and pulled Naruto out of the crib. She lay him in her arms and placed the bottle in his mouth.

Akari felt her heart go out for the adorable child in her arms. He was light, too light for a kid his age. She knew the ANBU would be the ones to feed the kid if no one else did, but psychological harm sometimes had the same effect of keeping food away from a child. How many meals had he missed before the ANBU had stepped in? Akari realized she wouldn’t want to know or else she would go crazy and kill something. But as she gazed at the kid in her arms, she realized she got too attached to let him go.

Akari gently rocked the kid around as he sucked on the plastic nipple of the bottle. He stared at her with wide eyes making Akari smile.

“Hey, Neko-chan.”

Naruto let go of the bottle and Akari grabbed it before it fell to the floor. Akari pouted with some difficulty before putting the bottle on the dusty table. Naruto giggle as he grabbed some of Akari’s red hair.

“Oi,” Akari cried out as she quickly but gently put him back in his crib.

“This isn’t funny Neko-chan,” Akari scolded lightly as she pulled her hair out of his reach.

Naruto’s smile faded to a pout and to her horror, she noticed tears in his eyes.

“No, no. Hey, don’t cry,” Akari panicked. She looked around in a frantic manner, searching for something to give him.

“Hey, look. It’s a dog,” Akari said as she plucked up a plushy from the lower shelves and handed it to Naruto.

“Inu!”

He cried out. Naruto looked at her and at the plushy before putting one of the ears in his mouth. Akari nearly melted at the sight in front of her before she shook her head.

“Right. This is a mess,” Akari muttered as she wiped a finger against the round low table in the right corner of the table. She made a face at the amount of dust on her hand before wiping it on her shirt.

Akari sighed and pulled out a cloth from the back pocket of her pants.

For the next hour, Akari cleaned the dust off the room, using a little (well, a bucket full but who was checking) of the water from the bathroom when she ran out of a clean cloth. The sun was slowly setting high in the sky by the time she was done. With a frown, Akari dunked the cloth in the bucket of water and wrung it to dry. She wiped her forehead with a fist and yawned.

“There, all clean,” she sighed.

All the time, Naruto’s eyes never strayed from her frame. So when he saw she was done the cleaning, he gurgled and clapped his hands to catch her attention.

“Up,” he demanded, making Akari stare at him.

“Alright Neko-chan,” she replied with a light giggle.

Akari pulled him out of his crib again and placed him on her hip. Akari walked around the room with a light bounce in her step so Naruto gently rocked with every bounce. Naruto squealed happily everything he felt the small bounce and dug his face in Akari’s shoulder. Akari laughed at the tickling sensation of Naruto’s hair rub against her neck before he started to feel heavier by the second. After a while, Akari looked to her side and noticed Naruto sleeping peacefully on her shoulder with a pile of drool gathering up on the side of his cheek.

With careful steps, Akari gently placed Naruto back in his crib and picked up the bottle. She slowly and carefully opened the door and slipped out so he wouldn’t wake up by any noise.

As Akari went into the kitchen to put the bottle in the sink, she noticed Akiko and Mitsumi staring at her through the side of the door.

Seriously, what did they think was going to happen, her not making it out of there? Akari thought to herself.

Akari ignored the wide-eyed looks from everyone around her as she rushed towards the swings and took off into the sky.

* * *

“You mentioned something new happened today Inu?”

“Hai, Hokage-sama. Today at 10:34 am, the doors to Naruto’s room opened and in came the new orphan, Akari. She had a bottle of milk for Naruto and feed it to him. The visitor showed no sign of hostility or fear at Naruto nor tried anything malicious. Visitor played with Naruto for a while, calling him ‘Neko-chan’ due to his whiskers. We placed a low-level genjutsu to make the place look unclean. The visitor also cleaned up Naruto’s room and has planted no bug or anything of the sort, I had a Hyuuga check it out in case we missed something. Visitor only left once Naruto fell asleep on the shoulder.”

“And there were no signs of something else at play?”

“No, Hokage-sama, however, I had Washi (Eagle) go over to check over the visitor to see any background.”

“And?”

“The Konoha Police have found her to be an abuse survivor, her illegal guardians dead and her legal guardians are being looked for. She appeared three days ago, Bībā (Beaver) found her, lying next to a stream with injuries inflicted on her. The report shows abuse and neglect, not to mention, the area around her looks like a struggle but when Bībā (Beaver) found her, she was alone.”

“And she hasn’t said anything?”

“The doctor in charge said that she was scared of everyone’s touch and showed slight familiarity with things around her. And the Konoha Police Force’s file reveals that she was deeply starved and beaten but her mental strength is strong to deal with this. Her parents Will leaves everything in her hands and she will grow to be a very rich woman.”

“Have Ōkami (Wolf) search her background more deeply, make sure to try to find any issues that may show she is a spy. And if she has further contact with Naruto, I want to know about it.”

“How should we proceed Hokage-sama?”

“She’s a possible threat but until she doesn’t act, don’t do anything.”

“Hai, Hokage-sama.”

Meanwhile, a certain entity stood in the corner of the room with a scowl.

**_Mistress isn’t going to like this._ **

* * *

To Akari’s utmost annoyance, after the incidence of her going to Naruto (which everyone in the orphanage knew about by lunchtime, curtsey to the Akiko) she was gawked at for the rest of the day. It was around evening time when Akari almost snapped and hit someone for staring at her.

However, a thirteen-year-old did go up to her and tell her that she was proud of what Akari had done; ‘not a lot of younger kids would realize that the kid isn’t as the adults portray him as.’

Akari just shrugged in reply, “There’s no way a two-year-old could cause everyone so much pain. And if it’s something his parents did, then people shouldn’t take it out on a kid.”

After all, Akari had simply planted the seeds of doubt but whether or not the rest of the orphans would let it blossom was their choice. Now, to see which ones were smart enough to look past the lies of the villagers.


	4. Chapter Four

Akari stared at the ceiling with a pensive face. There had been a lot of fuss due to her actions and with what Death had told her, Akari needed to look after her back. Akari could feel the souls of spies watching her, forcing her into a more alert mindset. She forced her face into a relaxed position. Her mind focused on the knowledge Death lent her.

Akari made a show of feeling sleepier before she slipped into ‘deep sleep’. In reality, Akari let her soul out of her body. Her soul jerked out of her body, her back arched upwards as she floated above her vessel. The room’s temperature slowly dropped as the light breeze grew more violent. Akari’s eyes snapped open, flashing a Khaki shade. Akari gently rose above herself and let her senses expand around further around to more than the perimeter of the orphanage. Akari was reminded of the radar’s used in armies as pinpoints when the souls of people appeared behind her eyes.

Akari slowly walked out of the orphanage with a plan. With her being in this new dimension, Akari was at a disadvantage with the lack of knowledge. And after years and years, she finally learned her lesson; knowledge equals power. So it was no wonder Akari was breaking into the Konoha Ninja Academy and if by any chance, she still had time, she would go to the Konoha Shinobi Library.

(At the back of her mind, Akari noted the particular use of words to express the location. With a disdained wrinkle of her nose, Akari pushed the thought of direct manipulation away from her mind. It wouldn’t help her to dwell on the subject right now as she would just end up losing her focus on the matters on hand. Though, she made a mental note to remind her of the psychological manipulation.)

Akari strolled down the hallways of the Academy, taking in the numerous classrooms and their setups. She saw a soul inside one of the classrooms but dismissed it as a teacher spending a late night to correct some papers as the soul wasn’t focused on her. But then a quiet shuffle broke her out of her thoughts and she peeked inside the room she heard the sound coming from. Inside the room, instead of a teacher, was a kid wearing all white with his brown hair in a ponytail.

“This should be a perfect goodbye present from me to all the teachers,” he snickered, placing a paint bucket over a doorway. The bucket had wires connected to it that lead to the middle of the ceiling.

 _Is that a bucket of glue?_ After a moment, Akari giggled, it was indeed glue. The glue was connected to a pile of feathers and some kind of seed. The entire prank reminded her of a domino effect and she couldn’t wait to see the outcome of feathered green kids. Akari stared at the bucket of glue and carefully shot a spell at it to get rid of the smell of glue.

_There all better now._

Akari glanced around the room once more and shot another spell at the kid. The night was a cold one, and he didn’t have any warm layers on him. The goosebumps that were on his arms went down as he was protected by the bitter cold. Akari spun around by the heel of her barefoot foot and continued her way down to look for clues on the curriculum being taught by the Academy.

 _AHA,_ she cried out once she soon found the room she was looking for. She sped up her pace to reconcile the time she had lost.

 _Booklist,_ she chanted in her head as she skimmed the room. The corner of the room contained twelve desks, each having a different nameplate on them. Akari leaned down and pointed at the locked drawers of the desks, _Alohomora_ , she called out and the locks became undone.

 _Wonder how long this test has been unmarked for,_ Akari thought as she dug through the papers in the drawer.

_Ohhhh, naughty teacher for storing alcohol i-THERE IT IS!_

Akari pulled out a small booklet that showed all the expectations for the academy as well as its books. She placed the booklet on the floor as tapped at it with the Elder Wand, creating a duplicate booklet next to it. She hurried to place the booklet back in place before locking the draws up with another spell.

She cast a quick Tempus before cursing lightly. Her impromptu walk had wasted more time than she had thought. Akari got up quickly and rushed towards the exit.

Whilst hurrying to her next destination, Akari opened up the booklet in hand.

‘ _Index:_

  * _Introduction 2-4_
  * _Key Features of a Great Shinobi 5-8_
  * _Food, Health and Diet 9-12_
  * _Curriculum 12-14_
  * _Materials 15-16_
  * _What to expect when you’re expecting (to graduate) 17-23’_



Akari skimmed through the booklet, momentarily pausing her walk when she had some trouble understanding a sentence. Quite to her surprise, her quick pace covered up the time taken as she stopped to re-read a sentence and so in no time at all, she found herself standing in front of the Library.

The doors and windows of the large building were shut close with a warning sign on them that the library was closed. Akari snorted at the warning and shut her eyes.

Since she was young again, it was harder for her to control her magic which would usually just work for her flawlessly. Akari breathed in slowly, focusing on her surroundings; on the sound of gentle swishing of the leaves in the trees, on the sound of the rushing water in a nearby stream and on the cool breeze picking up its pace. With an exhale, Akari walked forward with shut eyes, past the walls of the library and past the chunin on duty.

Once she was well past the guards, she opened her eyes and sighed with relief.

 _Time to catch up on some history,_ Akari murmured to herself. _Point me Konoha History: Creation._

Akari followed her wand until she found what she was looking for.

‘ _Konohagakure, (Literally meaning: Village Hidden by Tree Leaves) is the hidden village of the Land of Fire. As the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konohagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Hokage. Konoha resides deep within a forest at the base of a mountain known as the Hokage Rock, which has the faces of all those who have taken the office of Hokage engraved on it. While generally seen as the most powerful of the ninja villages, Konoha has enjoyed many years of relative peace and stability._

_During the Warring States Period, the ninja were organized into small mercenary clans that knew nothing but battle. The two strongest of these clans were the Senju and the Uchiha, who had warred against each other for their entire histories. Eventually, intending to end the countless bloodshed, Hashirama Senju used his position as leader of his clan to create a truce with the Uchiha clan. The Senju, the Uchiha, and their affiliated clans (also known as the Founding Clans) formed the first shinobi village: Konohagakure — a name invented by Madara himself…..’_

As Akari read on, she conjured a pen and another book to take notes for further reference. When the last line left her gaze, Akari lifted her head and cast Tempus.

_I still have enough time to go through other books._

Akari got up to stretch her legs rather than just summoning a book from the shelves.

_Hm, should I pick ‘The Basic Principle for Shinobi’ or ‘The Shinobi Rules’?_

After a moment, Akari picked up ‘The Shinobi Rules’.

_Still got two and a half hours left. Plenty of time to finish this book and go back._

* * *

Akari woke up as the light kissed her face. She could feel the eyes of the plants while she stretched with a yawn that left her jaw aching. As she slowly stretched, she gently brushed her mind against the mind of the spies.

_ She hasn’t shown any indication of our position yet. Should I attempt a test? _

_ I don’t understand why the Hokage is acting like this, she doesn’t ring any red lights. _

Every other thought warmed her heart, reinstating her belief of the fact that the people looking over Neko-chan were good people. Yet, Akari frowned as she stood up, one had no thoughts at all.

_An illusion perhaps?_

But all the probing she did, no thought was perceived by the spy.

Akari walked out of the room to get to breakfast.

She was finishing her bowl of warm oatmeal when a voice called her out.

“Good morning,” said the older boy from last time.

“Morning,” Akari grinned back.

_Is that blood behind his ear?_

“You’re up early.”

Akari laughed sheepishly as she scratched her head, “Yeah, I was really hungry so I woke up early.”

He looked like he was about to speak up but then the Matron come in the dining area.

“Hurry up and wake up everyone else. The place isn’t going to clean itself!”

Akari placed her empty bowl back at the table and rushed back to the room.

“Hey everyone, it’s time to wake up!”

Haru groaned and turned over.

“C’mon guys, the food will get cold,” Akari tried again.

Yui pulled herself up, her usual sleek hair puffed behind her head looking like a pineapple.

Akari groaned as she noticed only Yui got out of bed, “Last one down is a rotten egg?”

Within a second, all the children were jumping out of bed and racing down the room.

_Oh Merlin, seriously?_

Akari turned around to walk back to the dining area when she felt something touch her shoulder.

“Huh?”

But to her surprise, no one was behind her.

“Maybe just the wind,” she shrugged. Unknown to her, at that moment a tiny bug slipped inside her pockets.

* * *

In no time at all, Akari had a set routine; wake up, eat, eavesdrop on conversations while doing a chore, go to bed, astral project her soul to spy on the spies or to study and repeat. (All the while avoiding the creepy older guy.)

The days flew by as she absorbed more information about Konoha and continued to lay as low as possible in terms of her maturity. About two weeks had passed since she had first been introduced to the Uchiha pair. They had kept their promise and visited each week, bringing more information about her family. It wasn’t hard to fake the hope in her eyes whenever they visited, wishing that Sirius and Remus would find their way to her.

Akane brought colors and books for Akari the second time they visited. The very colors and books Akari hid under her bed as an attempt to keep them far away from the Matron. She knew she could just magic them away and bring them back with just one spell, but Akari didn’t want to bring any more reason to have ANBU watching her every step.

Akari scrubbed at the dishes with more force. She had tripped and spilled water everywhere during lunch and was punished to be on clean-up duty. The plate she was holding nearly slipped out of her grip once again causing her to curse aloud.

The entire orphanage had now become accustomed to her sailor worthy cursing. Though she couldn’t help but remember when one of the older orphans had first found her swearing up the hill. Akari’s face contorted and she gaged a bit as she remembered the taste of the soap she was forced to keep in her mouth.

But then when Akari had sworn again, she had been pulled aside from one of the female helpers ( _a disguised ANBU,_ Akari had thought once she noticed it was the same soul as one of her inspectors).

“It’s not good to say that,” she had said.

Akari’s face had fallen, “Oh, I’m so sorry Nee-chan. But Uncle would always say it and it’s weird for me not to hear it. It sounds like I’m in a dream and when I wake up, this will be all gone.”

The very next time when she shouted out a curse word, people stared but no one said anything.

Akari dried her hands on the towel hung near the door once she finished cleaning the dishes.

“Hey, are Akane-chan and Tsuki-kun here yet,” Akari asked one of the older girls.

“Not yet Aka-chan.”

Akari sighed and drooped her head down.

“Why don’t you go play outside, I’ll call you when they do come. Alright?”

“Thank you Nee-chan!”

In the corner of her mind, Death burst a lung from laughter.

_Okay, so I may be laying it a bit thick, but at least they all forgot about the Naruto situation._

**_Mistress, that’s as unlikely as it is that this world stops killing each other or themselves for the matter._ **

Akari sat on the swing.

_Well, that’s why you bought me here right? So I’ll do all I can and even if they don’t forget, at least they like me enough to look after me here._

**_I could just kill the Matron Mistress, you know that. I just need a green light._ **

_Two words. Low profile. Remember Death Breath?_

A moment of awkward silence passed before the link between Death and Akari filled up with Death’s embarrassment.

**_That’s a new thing._ **

_Oi, be quiet. Let me wallow at my cringey comebacks; it’s like I lost all sense of them._

**_Well,_** Death paused for a moment. **_Would you like some good news?_**

_Please?_

**_I took care of some of the more pressing issues quickly so Fate thought of giving a blessing to the two of us. Seems like the next two years will be a fun ride Mistress._ **

Akari’s grip slacked from the chains.

_WHaT? Death, you know Fate doesn’t give blessings unless Fate wants the person to suffer. _

Akari groaned and slowed her swinging down.

**_Well, let’s just say you won’t be bored these coming two years._ **

Akari whined before sighing heavily.

_Since you’re free now. Could you help me understand something?_

**_I shall do my best Mistress._ **

_Remember that Hyuuga guy? He brought up all the shit about loving and nurturing children yet they let this Matron neglect these children, why?_

**_Well, if it pleases you, this Matron won’t last long here either. The obvious lack in the staff has forced the Hokage to focus on more pressing concerns. For instance, the attack that occurred two years ago took too many lives to count and so every business including many of the highly achieved chunin lost their lives. The Matron needs to be a chunin since at the time of the war, the orphanage doubles as a safe haven for the civilians. One the same note, the Matron should be strong enough to defend the children from any harm. At this moment, however, most of the chunin are sent out on missions as a way to bring as much money as possible into this village. The chunin who aren’t on missions are training to be jōnin who are often sent on more risky missions (hence more money) or take a genin team._ **

_I understand the lack of high leveled shinobi leaves the village at a risk. But, I don’t like the hypocrisy in this village._

**_Neither do I, Mistress. Anyway, with some of the panic finally ebbing away, this Matron is going to be replaced._ **

_Alright, but I just want them to hurry up. I can’t handle forcing my magic not to lash out all the time._

Akari sighed and tipped her back further behind so she could swing further ahead.

_I kind of need to borrow some of your brain for some help with something._

**_I will be glad to help you._ **

Akari groaned, _Stop being so formal._

**_As you wish._ **

_Death,_ Akari growled.

**_Sorry Mistress. I meant, ‘cool’._ **

Akari snorted before trying to push down the image of Death wearing a baseball cap sideways with multiple gold chains around Death’s neck. However, she couldn’t push it away quick enough as her link was flooded with an embarrassed, angry emotion.

**_I am a NEVER ending being, not an idiotic mortal attempting to be ‘hip’._ **

Akari couldn’t stop the snickers coming out as Death crossed his arms.

 _Oh my goodness. I can’t,_ she managed to get out before collapsing from the swing to catch her breath.

“Oh my goodness,” a volunteer ran over. “Are you okay?”

Akari gasped as tears formed while she kept laughing.

“Too fast,” she lied through her laughter.

“Alright. But you need to sit down for a while to calm down.”

* * *

_Can you go check where Akane and Tsuki are? It’s nearly the end of the day,_ Akari asked as she peered at the window from the living room where many volunteers were teaching her group to read.

“Onii-san, I’m telling you. I know how to read,” she said in exasperation. 

“But Aka-chan, you can’t know how to read this. You’re too young!”

“Onii-san,” Akari dragged out. “My Uncle didn’t like to do his reports all of the time so I had to do them. In strictly **Katakana**. I know what I’m saying when I say I can read **and** write.”

The blonde volunteer pursed her lips together, “Can you just read these words out then? So I can put away the other books?”

“Fine.”

With another face at the helper, Akari grabbed the book and cleared the throat.

“Both the deer and the antelope are part of the deer family, but surely the sea lion is not a deer **(shika mo kamoshika mo shika no nakama, shikashi ashika wa shika de wa nai).**.”

“You stumbled over the deer,” the blonde cried in victory.

“Yeah, bu-.”

“Oh! Aka-chan!”

Akari turned her head to the side, “Akane-chan. You came!”

It took a second for Akari to notice she was flying out of her chair to hug the Inspector. Akari burrowed her face in the red flared skirt.

“Where were you? Did you forget about me? And where’s Tsuki-kun-.”

Akane laughed before cupping Akari’s face in her hands, “Calm down Aka-chan.”

“Sowwy,” Akari managed to push through the squished cheeks.

“It’s alright,” Akane said with a fond smile. “Hey, why don’t you go pack some of your stuff while I talk to the Matron?”

Akari looked between the baby blue fabric bag held out by Akane. She stared quietly at the bag and with a timid nod, she took the bag.

“Hey, chin up sweetie,” Akane dropped a kiss on Akari’s forehead.

Akari tried to move her face from her shocked state to a more positive one but she knew some experience her facial expression would come off as a lost kid’s. Akari slowly walked her way back to the room she was staying in. Her young body’s wild emotions were bursting out so her control, filling her up with anxiety. She should trust Death follow the promise made but Akari couldn’t help but think of bad scenarios.

Once Akari reached the room, she pulled out the little notebooks and colors from under the bed.

Her hand paused over the bag and she stared at the pattern. The blue bag was covered with light pink flowers which had cream white stems; a similar design Akari had seen only once before. Akari’s breath hardened and she could feel her body trembling.

Why did Akane have Ron’s bag? 

But before she could ask Death about it, Death spoke.

**_No Mistress, Ron didn’t come back._ **

_But, how is this the same bag?_

**_I am sorry but this is related to one of the other issues I have to fix. I shall explain more once you are alone._ **

Akari placed the books carefully in the bag and pulled it over her shoulder.

“Everything packed and ready to go,” Akane asked once Akari went over to her.

Akari nodded.

“Alright, sweetie. I guess we’ll have to go now.”

Akane gently grabbed one of Akari’s hand.

“Wait!”

Akane looked down at Akari who pulled her hand out of the grasp.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye! I need to say bye,” Akari exclaimed with wide eyes.

Akane looked at the watch on her wrist. A strange awkward smile spread over her lips, “I guess we can stay for a few minutes for goodbyes.”

“Thank you Nee-chan!”

Akari raced back up the stairs.

“Momo-chan,” Akari called out once she located her first target.

Momo had been one of the older kids who took Akari under their wings. She had protected Akari from being a target of the Matron's anger multiple times. 

Momo turned around in surprise only to be tackled by Akari who dug her face in Momo’s shoulder.

“I’m leaving,” Akari said sadly once pulled away.

Momo startled, “Now?”

“Yeah, Akane-chan came here and asked me to pack,” Akari explained. “I don’t think I’m coming back.”

“Oh Aka-chan, we’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too Momo-chan.”

Momo pulled Akari with her, “Don’t forget us Aka-chan.”

“I won’t. I promise,” Akari said before she hugged Momo once more and went her way to check on ‘Neko-chan’.

Akari slowly opened the door to peer in the room. A few baby lights were turned on in the room which lit it up in a warm color.

“Hey Neko-chan,” Akari said once she noticed Naruto awake.

“Aka!”

His cute ecstatic cry seemed to cause her eyes to water up. Akari walked over to the crib and pulled him in her arms. Naruto wrapped one hand around her hair while the other clutched a small yellow cat.

“Hey, little one.”

She was rewarded by excited babbles. Akari sniffed as tears were about to leave her eyes.

Naruto’s babbles quietened to a confusion.

“Aka,” Naruto asked quietly.

“I’m fine,” she wetly chuckled. “Everything is okay sweetie.”

Akari took a deep breath to calm down.

“Neko-chan, I’m leaving,” she choked out, “and I don’t think I’m coming back.”

Naruto took one look at the tears falling down and started crying himself.

“I wanted you to know that I really am going to miss you.”

“No! Aka,” Naruto cried as he slowly got the gist of what Akari was saying. He pulled her hair towards him.

“No! Aka no go!”

He sobbed into her chest unceasingly, hands tugging her hair. Akari held him in silence, rocking him slowly as his tears soaked her chest. Her own tears fell over the crown on golden hair.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Neko-chan.”

His wailing slowed down as he pulled away to look at her before he collapsed again; this time howling in sorrow.

He must’ve cried for ages until he fell asleep due to the exhaustion accompanied by the tears. Akari looked at him and placed him back in his crib.

“I’m sorry Neko-chan,” Akari said quietly before dropping a kiss on his forehead. She made her way back downstairs feeling very miserable and alone.

(From their hidden spots, the ANBU all sighed. The only person who had been able to make Naruto smile, well someone other than his guards, was going to leave. With a contemplating thought, Kame (Turtle) watched Akari drag her feet away.)

Akane stopped her pacing once she noticed the red eyes Akari was sporting. Akane's eyes softened and she let out a sad smile.

“Hey, it’ll be alright. You’ll probably see everyone again in the Academy or in school,” she said while holding out a hand for Akari to hold.

Akari nodded miserably before grabbing a hold of the outstretched hand.

* * *

Akari quietly sat on the chair in the Uchiha Police Station. Akane had told Akari to take a seat and wait a bit while she handled some last paperwork for the adoption.

Silence gnawed at her insides; it was poisonous in its emptiness and was eerily unnatural, like a heart without a beat. The only thing that kept time from standing still was the loud ticking of the clock.

_Why does Akane have Ron’s bag Death?_

Death sighed, **_When a person is born, each soul being born in a way is also born in other dimensions. Each dimension has one version of every person from one TRUE dimension. That means that Ronald does exist in this dimension, but not as the red-head fierce boy you used to know. But rather as a dark-haired fierce female, Akane._**

Akari stared at Death with a tired expression.

An echo of Ron’s words rang in her head.

_‘“What’re you looking at you soggy wet sock?” Ron got ready to fight the Ravenclaw who had been snickering at Ron’s bag._

_“That’s my great-mum’s bag and my mother gave it to me,” Ron had later explained the evening. “Mom always wanted to share something of her mother’s with us but none of us we born girls until Ginny came along. But Ginny didn’t like it; she’d rather have swords and toy dragons. Mum was so disappointed that she thought we might as well just sell it. But I caught her crying while holding the bag in her hand one night. So I asked Mum if I could have it and it was probably the first time I ever saw mum look so happy. It’s more precious than any other belonging I had and I won’t let any idjits take away this part of me.”’_

Akari traced a flower with her small finger.

_If Ron is here, does it mean Hermione exists here as well?_

**_Well, Mistress, it’s more complicated than that. Even if a person is born in the true dimension, their acts determine whether or not they get reborn in other places. Some of these planes of existence require more than others which is the reason for Ronald’s life. Ronald may have been a fellow Gryffindor, but he always had the intellect that could not be bought from books unlike Miss Granger’s. The deeds he has done have repaid him in the matter of surviving here._ **

_So what? Good deeds act as payment to pass the toll on moving along each dimension?_

**_In a way, yes. Life has always been known for being a bit obsessive on controlling who gets to go where. So Life gave birth to two other Entities, Light and Dark. Humans have butchered what Darkness and Light means; as you have well now known, being dark doesn’t mean being evil nor does being light means a model civilian. These two Entities often choose their champions, basically a group of usually ten to fifteen people they like. This group gets blatant favoritism from Life. Your friend Ronald had once saved the life of a group newborn, giving his life for theirs, which earned his position as one of the champions. Later on, he became one of the country’s best strategist who decreased warfare from 23% to only 9.2% (a feat no one has been able to do ever. And I do mean ever). In another, he befriended a young lost girl, one who had been touched by both Dark and Light. The tremendous potential in him gets him to almost every plane of existence there is. And the ones he isn’t qualified for, well let’s just say the rest of the Entities wouldn’t be surprised if Life bent the rules for him._ **

Akari stared at the bag.

_I get everything about Ron. I mean he had been one of the greatest people I met but I expected Hermione to be on par with him, y’know?_

Death exhaled, the room rattling slightly due to Death’s cold aura.

**_The Hermione you had met had the great pleasure of meeting you two. You changed her manipulative, competitive streak to a milder one. But you two had never met her in any other plane. Hermione Granger isn’t, well she isn’t someone you would like at all if you met here. In fact, you two would be on opposite sides of a war._ **

Akari head snapped upwards to look at Death in horror.

_No-no way. Hermione wouldn’t be such a cruel person-._

**_Hermione Granger is known for being one manipulative person in all dimensions. Her soul is one of the foulest one’s Life has seen. But due to Ronald and your interference, her aura has been changing ever so slightly. Maybe in a few centuries, she would be as pure as Ronald is._ **

_But if I asked you to bring Hermione, my Hermione back here, you would be able to right?_

**_I understand how everything I am saying seems to contradict and to be completely truthful, I don’t even understand how it works. But yes I would be able to since, even though it is part of one soul, the changes within the soul make it a whole other soul._ **

Akari’s pinched her nose in frustration. Her head swarmed about with all the new information.

_Aren't you The All-Knowing Death that is Blessed with Powers Beyond Thought and Knowledge that rivals infinite amount of souls?_

**_Even Death can be handicapped if the Universe wants it to be. We make up the Universe but it still controls Us._ **

_And it just so happens that the Universe doesn't let you understand it's rebirth system? But you're Death!_

**_I am Death,_** the entity agreed. **_The only thing I can say is this. The_** ** _system is the only thing that helps maintain balance. Once, before Time, the system wasn't there. But it caused more issues than thought. With this system, Time and Order came into existence. If we forgo the system and question it, Time and Order will fall. We must Protect, not Destroy Entities._**

Akari sighed. 

_That sucks..._

**_Sucks is a tad bit too light for this issue, Mistress._ **

_But just for clarity...there are different versions of the same soul which may not even be categorized as the same soul due to different fractions of Dark and/or Light in them. Ron is one of the champions and so is reborn in most dimensions yet Hermione was the opposite and is limited to places? But you could bring back ‘my’ Hermione cuz she is better than the other versions?_

**_Yes, Mistress._**

_And my power restricts yours because of the Mistress of Death?_

**_Yes, Mistress._ **

_And until I become strong again, you will be handicapped to endure only pulling the 'best behaved' souls back to life?_

**_Yes Mistress._ **

_okay, if so, then what about Sirius and Remus? Why bring them back? Are there no existing versions of them here?_

One look at Death’s face made Akari sigh.

_Don’t answer that. It’s alright. I mean, they’re here now right? So I don’t need to worry._

Death awkwardly chuckled, **_yes Mistress._**

_Wake me up when someone comes to get me alright?_

Akari stretched and lay down on the chairs.

**_Yes, Mistress._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the great delay in the new update. I seemed to be swarmed with exams all of a sudden that just finished yesterday. Also, hope you like it.

**Author's Note:**

> I just don't want anyone else to die - Iris Potter  
> Please review, kudo and follow. Hope you all like this story


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